Overview
As a cornerstone of social science, sociology overlaps several unique disciplines that study society, such as economics, psychology, and political science. It provides a range of essential, transferable skills including analysis, problem-solving, critical thinking, and research, all of which are invaluable in just about any career, as well as higher education.
Delve into a fascinating and multifaceted discipline and discover the forces that drive societal change with Sociology Level 3
You’ll examine the key principles of sociology, discover how groups and societies operate and examine theories from renowned philosophers such as Marx and Nietzsche. You’ll investigate social issues such as racism, inequality, and crime, as well as examine key thought structures such as feminism and post-modernism. You don’t need any prior sociology knowledge or qualifications to enrol on this course, and you’ll be able to study in your own time, at your own pace!
What you'll learn
Unit one focuses on the three main approaches to Sociology: The symbolic interactionist perspective, the functionalist perspective and the conflict perspective. You’ll look at theory in sociology, as well as ontology, epistemology and ethics. Finally, you’ll consider both micro-sociology and macro-sociology.
In the second unit, you’ll delve into the concept of the self, the individual and society, and how the self is socialised. You’ll look at primary and secondary socialisation, as well as criticisms of socialisation theory. Also, consider social order, social agency and identity, and identity in relation to language and how we see others. Finally, you’ll learn just what is a group, exploring the ever-changing nature of the social world.
In unit three, you’ll familiarise yourself with Marxism and German philosopher, Karl Marx. Once you’ve grasped the basis of Marxism, you’ll move onto philosophers Fredrich Nietzsche and Michael Foucault. In relation to the Foucault, you’ll consider ideas of knowledge and power, sexuality, madness and civilisation. Finally, we’ll break down the concepts of Structuralism, Post-Structuralism, Modernism and Post-Modernism.
The fourth unit will develop your understanding of the social sphere we live in and the meaning we give to it. You’ll discover the wheel of sociology and find out how socialisation relates to how we learn and adapt settings we live. Finally, you’ll also look at social psychological and psychosocial approaches to the social world.
Moving on, you’ll focus on social issues such as racism, inequality, class, gender, hooliganism, and poverty, and recognise their impact the have on society. You’ll cover topics like overt racism, the apartheid system in South Africa, and sexism and harassment. You’ll also look at theories on inequality and Irving Janis’ concept of Groupthink.
Next, you’ll examine three key theories in sociology: feminist theory, queer theory and critical race theory. You’ll cover topics such as Marxist, liberal and post-modern feminism, consider the heterosexual lens, and discover how race theorists challenged legal systems.
In unit seven, you’ll start by understanding just what crime and deviance is in society. You’ll then examine topics on social class and elite crime, as well as historical biological thoughts on crime and deviance. Other topics you’ll explore include the nature-nurture debate, as well as the effects of crime on gender and ethnicity. Finally, you’ll look at the halo effect and restorative justice.
In the eighth unit, you’ll consider behaviour and the role of group dynamics, looking at areas such as group size and leadership. As you progress, you’ll look at bystander apathy and conformity, specifically the experiments of Milgram and Zimbardo.
The final unit will break down the role of the family, exploring various definitions of family. You’ll also explore changes in marriage, namely the idea of marriage. As you progress, you’ll cover family diversity, whether the nuclear family still exists, globalisation and the nation state. Finally, you’ll learn about wealth inequality.
Extra info
Awarding Body
With a heritage stretching back over 150 years, NCFE is one of the largest awarding bodies in the UK. Over 340,000 students were awarded certification by NCFE last year.
NCFE Customised Qualifications are bespoke, unregulated qualifications developed to meet the specific needs of learners. These courses fit in where there are no other regulated qualifications are available. Meaning you can achieve recognition from a well-respected awarding body, even if there isn’t a pre-existing qualification in a certain subject area.
Endorsed by
ACCPH is an independent, self-regulated UK professional body for qualified counsellors, coaches, psychotherapists and hypnotherapists. They serve people with nationally recognised qualifications from home study or distance learning students. Accepting members from all six modalities, including those ‘non-standard’ techniques such as Spiritual Coaching and Neuroscience amongst other approaches.
Course Outcome
At the end of this course, you’ll receive an NCFE Customised Qualification and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the details of all of the units you have completed as part of your course). You can read more about NCFE here.
How is this course assessed or examined?
Each unit is followed by a written tutor-marked assignment (TMA), which is submitted and then marked by your tutor. You will not be required to take an external exam.
Entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for this course, however, it is recommended that you have an intermediate ability to read and write English.
